“He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns,
and destroyed the lives of our people.” 
~ The Declaration of Independence, Signed 4 July 1776

Editor note: The following article has been provided to AMAC Foundation and our readers by our Foundation Veteran Outreach Program (FVOP) team member Michael Teninty.

247 years have passed since the founders of our great nation, and I say great in an educated and experiential manner, having observed many other nations on God’s earth, realized that it was time for we the people to dissolve the political bands which had connected us to England. They did so, asserting 18 specific objections to mistreatment and “usurpations” against King George the Third. They recognized the primacy of our God given right to life, the liberty to live it unencumbered by tyranny, and to apply that liberty to the pursuit of happiness. The founding fathers dedicated their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to each other to establish this great nation for themselves and their posterity, and we are their posterity. By enjoying the blessings of liberty on the 4th of July, we stand on the shoulders of the giants who ensured that this day would be possible.

The King was not the sole suppressor of liberty over the colonies, but as King, he was certainly accountable for their oppression. Among the greatest sins against the citizens of the early United States, unjust taxes were levied without the colonists representation within the body that imposed them. The King also forced the people to house and feed British soldiers, and impressed American sailors into service in His Majesties Navy against their will, and against their countryman. The King was guilty of preventing justice under the law in multiple ways; and he cancelled colonial governing bodies, or made it nearly impossible for them to function. Our forefathers rightly objected without relief, and without relief, they sought their own solution, and 56 delegates signed our Declaration of Independence from England. What a brave and fantastic thing to do. They risked everything in their lives to grant us the Nation we live in, we owe them an incredible debt.

Honoring July 4th

Let’s remember this day the price they paid, the service they gave, the future they ensured. Let us honor our Independence Day, and let us re-commit and engage in continuing the tradition of independence, of observing our God given rights, of rejecting tyranny. Let us stand together, pledge allegiance to the flag, support and defend the Constitution, and be proud to be Americans on this day, and all the days to come.